Matchday three of the Champions League and a chance for the established big-hitters to highlight the gulf between them and their European counterparts?
Or would our highly reliable SBOTOP Champions League 2025 betting odds be proved wrong and lead to some surprises?
Of course not. The gap is just getting bigger now as I have long indicated.
Something that also hasn’t changed is a tendency to make a ‘horlicks’ of my predictions in Euro combat.
And so it was that Manchester City ran away with victory in the Estadio La Ceramica.
I had suggested the ‘Yellow Submarine’ may be able to produce some Champions League 2025 highlights and claim a draw against their wealthy visitors. Not a bit of it.
Instead, their bid to end misery at the hands of English clubs continued apace.
First half goals from Erling Haaland and captain Bernardo Silva ended a run of five away games in the competition without a win – City had lost four straight matches on their travels to Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Sporting Lisbon last term before drawing at Monaco a few weeks ago.
In fact, this was City’s first Champions League win away from home since last October.
The result also meant that Villarreal, the 2021 Europa League winners, have now failed to triumph in any of their last nine competitive matches with English clubs.
What of the other big boys in action on Tuesday night?
Well, the gap between themselves and other clubs was evident in Catalonia where Barcelona routed Olympiakos of Greece with a Fermin López hat-trick and two goals from Marcus Rashford powering them to a commanding 6-1 victory.
López opened the scoring from a rebound in the seventh minute and doubled his tally six minutes before the break, finishing off a lightning-quick counterattack.
Olympiakos had a glimmer of hope early in the second half when Ayoub El Kaabi cut the deficit to 2-1 from the penalty spot but any momentum was short-lived as Santiago Hezze was controversially sent off for a second yellow card.
That ended the game as a contest as Barca made an incensed Olympiakos pay.
Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal fired home their third from the penalty spot and Rashford added his own name to the scoresheet in the 74th minute.
There was still time for López to complete his hat-trick three minutes later before Rashford wrapped up the rout with his second following a swift counterattack.
And what of the reigning European champions?
Well Paris Saint-Germain showed how hot they can be to handle by putting seven past Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.
Both sides saw a man sent off in the first half and a close game seemed in prospect until the Parisiens netted three times in the closing minutes of the first half.
Two of the goals came from Desire Doue and one from world player of the year Ousmane Dembele, the second half substitute continuing his return from injury.
As for Leverkusen, it is little wonder Erik Ten Hag expressed his frustration after half the side was sold upon his arrival at the club in May.
His successor Kasper Hjulmand faces a hell of a task to keep them competitive at the sharp end both domestically and in Europe.
Individual performances of note came from Scott McTominay, who scored a double despite Napoli going down 6-2 to PSV Eindhoven; Dennis Man who netted a brace for the hosts in the same game, and Harvey Barnes who grabbed two from the bench in Newcastle’s 3-0 success over Benfica.
But the award for me goes to Arsenal who ruthlessly despatched Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.
Goalless for nearly an hour, the Gunners turned on the style and turned the screw with four goals in 13 minutes in North London.
A short time after Julian Alvarez had hit the woodwork for the visitors arrived the Gunners’ goal glut.
Gabriel powered home a header to begin the rout, Gabriel Martinelli produced a superb finish to double the advantage and then came Viktor Gyokeres.
Twice in four minutes he was in the right place at the right time to show that, rather than finesse, his poaching ability may prove a crucial difference this term.
Firstly, he turned home a mishit shot from Eberechi Eze. Then he used his thigh to turn the ball over the line just four minutes later.
A win to make Europe sit up and take notice and three wins from three keeps Arsenal, PSG and last season’s beaten finalists, Inter Milan, 4-0 winners at the minnows of Union Saint-Gilloise, at the top of the standings.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
